Alright. Here it goes. I'm just going to come right out in say it.
I think I like Telemachus better.
I know, I know, over my past few blogs I've been all "Bla bla bla, boring Telemachus. Bla bla bla, when do we get to hang with Ulysses?" But I realize now that this whole time I've been excited to hear Ulysses' story, not see Ulysses himself.
Because honestly, Ulysses is sort of a wombat.
Like on the last page before the end of book 13, he gets home and he has all this treasure, and he's still all, "Curse you, Phaecians" when they just happily got him home and gave him all this treasure! And then Athena (sorry Minerva) shows up after helping him all this time and Ulysses is all angry at her for no reason. He also makes up this extravagant lie story and tells it to her for half a page. What's up with that?
Yeah, I know that I'm all putting down Ulysses, but I actually did like his story. The only part that I really had a problem with is when he was in the Hades place and talking to all the dead people. Why did Homer have to tell us every single story? Not even just a couple, either. He talks to random ghosts and hears their stories for about five pages!!! What a waste of paper!!! And for all the women ghosts' stories it basically goes like this: (Insert name here) gets married. (Insert name here) has two sons. (Insert sons' names here) do all this stuff and the rest of the story is about (Insert sons' names here). So at this point I was all "Okay, what a great story about these women *sarcastically*." And then I got kind of mad because then Ulysses is all tired from talking and Arete is all "Okay, servants why don't you guys do this and this and this for Ulysses?" But then all the servants are all, "We ain't taking orders from no woman." And I was all, "Excuuuuse me?" And then to add to everything, Ulysses talks to Agamemnon and Agamemnon is all, "Keep a bunch of secrets from your wife." Want proof? Page 80, paragraph three. Then even worse, Agamemnon says, and I quote, "[do not tell people when you are bringing your ship to Ithaca, but steal a march upon them, for] there is no trusting women." Again. Page 80, paragraph three.
So anyways, on a different note, I'm sort of confused as to what the rest of the book is about at the moment. I mean, we're barely even halfway done with the book and we've already: Explained the whole Ithaca and suitor situation, had Telemachus go on his journey, tell Ulysses' tale, and got Ulysses home. What else is there to do? Ulysses beats up the suitors and the end. Or is it.....?
He's a wombat? Haha!
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I do agree that he can have a split personality. He seems like a different person in his story when he does heroic acts and attempts to save his men, but his actions and words in the present make him seem a little rude.
Women really weren't respected, were they?
I think both Telemachus and Ulysses had weaknesses and traits that made them annoying,so personally, I don't have a favorite.
I agree with liking Telemachus better. . . I think that Ulysses has had enough time in the spotlight for now and the story should switch perspectives every once and a while just to keep it interesting.
ReplyDeleteWhen you said Ulysses is a wombat I thought of the giant stuffed wombat my grandma has. Haha! I can see it becoming Ulysses. Women are insulted a lot in this story, I guess they just weren't respected.
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